This invention relates to a ring clip, composed of a lightweight resilient material such as plastic, and to a method for producing a plurality of such ring clips, useful as an inexpensive fastener, holder or binding device. Such a device has many uses in retail stores, for example, in grocery, drug and discount stores, where, among other uses, it may be employed for holding printed messages or signs on wire baskets, shopping carts or any wire merchandiser.
Prior to the present invention an extruded coiled plastic ring has been used for the purposes referred to above. This ring was spiral in shape with a little more than a single turn of the spiral included, resulting in a ring fastener with discontinuities at the two ends of the coiled plastic. These ends make it difficult to neatly secure drilled literature, or for the ring fasteners to serve as notebook ringbinders since the ends frequently catch the material being secured. Also, with such coiled rings it is difficult for attached material to be moved freely relative to the ring fastener. Accordingly, a need for an inexpensive yet disposable ring fastener, which would be light in weight and allow material to be firmly secured and yet be freely and easily moved relative to the ring, is apparent.
Other plastic rings known have bulky means used to lock them in a closed position, and such rings are not necessarily circular in shape, both factors making it very difficult for secured materials to move freely with respect to the ring. Also, such rings have locking means which do not offer much resistance to forces applied to the interior of the ring, e.g., two objects secured by the ring with forces applied to them tending to make them move in opposite directions may easily pull certain types of such rings into an open or unlocked position.